[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 136961] New: Optimize handling of page orientation in Writer (based on landscape page)

bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org
Tue Sep 22 21:23:53 UTC 2020


https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=136961

            Bug ID: 136961
           Summary: Optimize handling of page orientation in Writer (based
                    on landscape page)
           Product: LibreOffice
           Version: Inherited From OOo
          Hardware: All
                OS: All
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: medium
         Component: Writer
          Assignee: libreoffice-bugs at lists.freedesktop.org
          Reporter: telesto at surfxs.nl

Description:
The handling of page orientation should be optimized IMHO. It should be build
around Default/Landscape page style. So not switching page orientation in a
page style.

I also would suggest Page Break with Page Style being centered. And burying the
"Next Page Style in organizer" tab as far as possible. 

Also I would like it to be come easier to change the orientation of a single
page in the middle of the document (without affecting the rest). 

And Page Style Landscape should inherit the settings of default page style (I
think)

Steps to Reproduce:
Instead of me proposing the solution will try/attempt to demonstrate the issue
I’m running into changing page orientation (portrait/landscape). This touches
the area of pages styles in different facets.

Mission 1: rotating page 2 in a 4 page document
1. Cursor on page 2: Format –> Page Style –> Page tab –> Setting to landscape.
Result: all pages are rotated in default Page Style
2. Cursor on page 2: Right Click Status Bar –> Page Style Landscape
Result: Will rotate every page
3.Cursor on page 2: Sidebar –> Styles –> Page Styles –> Double clicking
Landscape
Result: Will rotate every page (not surprising; it’s in fact 2)
4. Cursor on page 1: Format –> Page Style –> Organizer tab –> Next Style. Set
it to Landscape
Result: All pages after first page will rotate to landscape.
Cursor on page 2: Format –> Page Style –> Organizer tab –> Next style –> Set it
to portrait
Result: Page 3 returns to portrait, page 4 still rotated. Ok so you go to page
4. So this will eventually work. Except: Place cursor after B: Press Backspace
twice.. Now is page 3 on page 2 spot (but rotated). And Page 3 (now page 2)
should have been portrait
5. Insert -> More Page break -> Manual Page break is out of the option (page
break already present). And no I normally don’t go that root either.
6. Cursor on page 2 -> Format -> Paragraph -> Text Flow -> Check with page
style -> Select landscape and press OK
Result: Will rotate every page 
7. Go to page 3 Format -> Paragraph -> Text Flow -> Check with page style →
Default page style
Result: Page 1 Portrait. Page 2 Landscape Page 3/4: Portrait (fine)
Place cursor after B press backspace twice: Page 3 moves to page 2 and still in
portrait mode (fine)
8) Go to page 1 -> Format -> Page Style -> Organizer tab. Next page style is
set to Portrait. The actual style on page 2 is landscape [Technically OK. There
is room for confusion. Notice the difference from 4; 
9) Go to page 1 -> Format -> Page Style -> Organizer tab. Change it to
Landscape.
Scroll down to page 4 → It was portrait now it’s Landscape again (confusing)
10. Go to page 1: Press and hold enter until next page. New page is added in
landscape view (without the need of a page break). 
11) Remove few enters, until 1 page is back
Press CTRL+Enter. A new page + page break. Format -> Paragraph → Text Flow → No
style (where is rotation coming from?)..  Go to page 1 -> Format -> Page Style
-> Organizer tab (Next Style)
12. Place cursor on page 4 (now landscape). Right click the status bar Page
Style & select Envelope. I assumed it would affect only Page 4 (because rotated
landscape; it does however include page 3, as page 4 is following the style of
page 3 (there is no style present in paragraph text flow tab


Mission 2 Rotate only page 1 in 4 page document
1. Cursor on page 2: Format –> Page Style –> Page tab –> Setting to landscape.
Result: all pages are rotated in default Page Style
2. Cursor on page 2: Right Click Status Bar –> Page Style Landscape
Result: Will rotate every page
3.Cursor on page 2: Sidebar –> Styles –> Page Styles –> Double clicking
Landscape
Result: Will rotate every page (not surprising; it’s in fact 2)
4. Cursor on page 1: Format –> Page Style –> Organizer tab –> Next Style.
Not possible
5. 5. Insert -> More Page break -> Manual Page break
Not possible
6. Cursor on page 1 -> Format -> Paragraph -> Text Flow -> Check with page
style -> Select landscape and press OK
Result: Will rotate every page 
Also slightly counter intuitive.. Page break ‘before’ first page. 
[I’m associating page breaks with blue dotted line]
7. Go to page 2 Format -> Paragraph -> Text Flow -> Check with page style →
Default page style
Result: Page 1 Landscape. Page 2-4: Portrait (fine)
Undo
Format → Page Style → Next Page Style → Portrait (also fine; but no should be
used)
Place cursor after B press backspace twice: Page 3 moves to page 2  and I’m
losing portrait mode. Yes, fits the model 
8. Cursor on page 2: Format –> Page Style –> Organizer tab –> Next Style
Landscape
Result: C and D in landscape mode. Page Style of page 2 being default page
style
9. Cursor on page 3. Right Click Status bar → Choose Portrait.. Result: bounces
off (no effect)
10. Place cursor on page 2. Right click status bar page style & select
envelope. 
Result page 2 changes (expected). However page 3/4 change to. I did set the
next style to landscape mode..

11. Place the cursor on page 1. 
12. Format → Page Styles → Page tab → Switch Orientation from Landscape to
portrait. 
Result: All pages with landscape style end up in portrait (obviously). But
worse, we have landscape style doing portrait mode. Yes, you could have know..
the dialog shows the name of the style. True.
13. View → User Interface → Tabbed. Go to Layout → Orientation → Page
orientation and change it to landscape and back to portrait. 


Next topic (follow up on condition after step 9 mission 2)
1. Go to page 2: Replace B with “Hello World”
2. Press Enter 3 after “World
3. Select World cut and paste it at the second line -> Text on new page. Lets
say this is expected, because a style attached to the paragraph (dislike this
tough). Format → Paragraph → Text Flow
4. Go to page 3.   Format → Paragraph → Text Flow (not style set)
Replace C with Hello World.
5. Press Enter 3 after “World”
6. Copy World and paste it at line 2. OK again a new page is added (where is
this coming from.. o yes, next style organizer tab?


Seeing all those effects isolated might make sense, but if you mix it you start
losing track. So it's fine to state that something works perfectly fine in
'isolated' context and written out in nice steps etc. But if you have a
document in front of you, or being Benjamin this is rather hard. 

And I'm only talking about portrait/landscape here.. Lets create a document
with 15 different page styles. Different margins, page sizes etc. 

And ever tried to export ODT to DOCX (with page styles stuff) and opened it
again (some document, but the existing page style stuff is now a bit different)

Actual Results:
So what are the problems.
1. Plenty of page rotation are available. However there is only one method
which delivers.
2. Page style being hidden under paragraph settings Text Flow. If you have used
MSO you will like use Format -> Page Styles → Page tab (which doesn’t deliver).
Also ‘paragraph style isn’t to most obvious place to look.
3. The Next Page style in organizer tab vs Text Flow Page style sometimes not
working as expected
2. Organizer tab next page style not being the right way (but appears to
deliver)
3. Hard to set a style on the first page. There is only one way (not
problematic as such). 
4. The next page style affected even if page breaks are in between (with
different styles set).
5. The Tabbed toolbar using changing page style orientation (which can even
result in landscape style being portrait). So doesn’t deliver most desired
result. And can make it even make more confusing
6. Changing page style in Text Flow tab will affect all of the following pages
(including those separated by page break), as long as there is no page style
explicitly set. A solution would be to set explicitly add the ‘with page style’
for the next page break (downwards, with the ‘old’ style); [but really didn’t
think this through]
7. Page Styles are bit of a thing in DOCX export; So not sure what’s required
here to get a decent export result (Justin has tried to teach me; but I’m
slightly forgetful)  
8. Make it visible which page breaks (at paragraph Text flow tab do have
explicit page style set (with page style) and which page breaks are without
page style. 

The major 'downside' of the whole exercise is of course that landscape page
isn't limited to orientation. But does include the whole style. Or should
landscape style be child of default page style. So it would inherited to
margins/ background and all other settings. This isn't the case either as far I
know

Expected Results:
Page rotation should based on page styles as far as possible. And it should be
really accessible. The options must be buried deep out of sight. So making it
as easy as possible for 'Benjamin' [typology without description] to archive
his goal without being distracted to much.

And ideally make it easy to rotate a page somewhere in between, without
affecting the rest [but might be personal preference]

I hope someone sees the light how the unwind this a bit. They current
implementation isn't really user friendly; pretty complicated. 

And in advance; LibreOffice more or less build around styles. So please don't
say it's pretty normal to change page orientation in 'Default Page Style' as
this simply not working if you want 'two' different page orientations. And yes,
also Benjamin has to deal with that. 


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
Version: 7.1.0.0.alpha0+ (x64)
Build ID: abcc4eb907661e07ad850ccce7eb06f129da4286
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 6.3 Build 9600; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: nl-NL (nl_NL); UI: en-US
Calc: CL

-- 
You are receiving this mail because:
You are the assignee for the bug.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/libreoffice-bugs/attachments/20200922/6246ada4/attachment-0001.htm>


More information about the Libreoffice-bugs mailing list